Thomas Wright Waller was the youngest of four children, born in New York to Adeline Locket Waller and Reverend Edward Martin Waller. He started playing the piano when he was six and graduated to the organ of his father’s church four years later. At the age of fourteen he was playing the organ at Harlem’s Lincoln Theater and within twelve months he had composed his first rag. Waller’s first piano solos (“Muscle Shoals Blues” and “Birmingham Blues”) were recorded in October 1922 when he was 18 years old.
He was the prize pupil, and later friend and colleague, of stride pianist James P. Johnson. Fats Waller was the son of a preacher and learned to play the organ in church with his mother. Overcoming opposition from his clergyman father, Waller became a professional pianist at 15, working in cabarets and theaters. In 1918 he won a talent contest playing Johnson’s “Carolina Shout”, a song he learned from watching a player piano play it.
Waller was one of the most popular performers of his era, finding critical and commercial success in his homeland and in Europe. He was also a prolific songwriter and many songs he wrote or co-wrote are still popular, such as “Honeysuckle Rose”, “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Squeeze Me”. Fellow pianist and composer Oscar Levant dubbed Waller “the black Horowitz”. Waller composed many novelty tunes in the 1920s and 1930s and sold them for relatively small sums. When the compositions became hits, other songwriters claimed them as their own. Many standards are alternatively and sometimes controversially attributed to Waller. Waller’s son Maurice wrote in his 1977 biography of his father, that once he was playing “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love, Baby” when he heard his father complaining from upstairs and came down and admonished him never to play that song in his hearing, saying that he had to sell that song when he needed some money. He even made a recording of it in 1938 with Adelaide Hall who, coincidentally, had introduced the song to the world (at Les Ambassadeurs Club in New York in 1928), in which he played the tune but made fun of the lyrics. Likewise, Maurice noted his father’s objections whenever he heard “On the Sunny Side of the Street” played on the radio.
The anonymous sleeve notes on the 1960 RCA (UK) album Handful of Keys state that Waller copyrighted over 400 new songs, many of which co-written with his closest collaborator Andy Razaf. Razaf described his partner as “the soul of melody… a man who made the piano sing… both big in body and in mind… known for his generosity… a bubbling bundle of joy”.[citation needed] Gene Sedric, a clarinetist who played with Waller on some of his 1930s recordings, is quoted in these same sleeve notes recalling Waller’s recording technique with considerable admiration: “Fats was the most relaxed man I ever saw in a studio, and so he made everybody else relaxed. After a balance had been taken, we’d just need one take to make a side, unless it was a kind of difficult number.”
Waller played with many performers, from Nat Shilkret (on Victor 21298-A) and Gene Austin to Erskine Tate to Adelaide Hall, but his greatest success came with his own five- or six-piece combo, “Fats Waller and his Rhythm”.
His playing once put him at risk of injury. Waller was kidnapped in Chicago leaving a performance in 1926. Four men bundled him into a car and took him to the Hawthorne Inn, owned by Al Capone. Waller was ordered inside the building, and found a party in full swing. Gun to his back, he was pushed towards a piano, and told to play. A terrified Waller realized he was the “surprise guest” at Capone’s birthday party, and took comfort that the gangsters did not intend to kill him. According to rumor, Waller played for three days. When he left the Hawthorne Inn, he was very drunk, extremely tired, and had earned thousands of dollars in cash from Capone and other party-goers as tips.
In 1926, Waller began his recording association with Victor Records, his principal record company for the rest of his life, with the organ solos “St. Louis Blues” and his own composition, “Lenox Avenue Blues”. Although he recorded with various groups, including Morris’s Hot Babes (1927), Fats Waller’s Buddies (1929) (one of the earliest interracial groups to record), and McKinney’s Cotton Pickers (1929), his most important contribution to the Harlem stride piano tradition was a series of solo recordings of his own compositions: “Handful of Keys”, “Smashing Thirds”, “Numb Fumblin’”, and “Valentine Stomp” (1929). After sessions with Ted Lewis (1931), Jack Teagarden (1931), and Billy Banks’s Rhythmakers (1932), he began in May 1934 the voluminous series of recordings with a small band known as Fats Waller and his Rhythm. This six-piece group usually included Herman Autrey (sometimes replaced by Bill Coleman or John “Bugs” Hamilton), Gene Sedric or Rudy Powell, and Al Casey.
Waller wrote “Squeeze Me” (1919), “Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now”, “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (1929), “Blue Turning Grey Over You”, “I’ve Got a Feeling I’m Falling” (1929), “Honeysuckle Rose” (1929), and “Jitterbug Waltz” (1942). He collaborated with the Tin Pan Alley lyricist Andy Razaf. He composed stride piano display pieces such as “Handful of Keys”, “Valentine Stomp” and “Viper’s Drag”.[citation needed]
He enjoyed success touring the United Kingdom and Ireland in the 1930s. He appeared in one of the first BBC broadcasts. While in Britain, Waller also recorded a number of songs for EMI on their Compton Theatre organ located in their Abbey Road Studios in St John’s Wood. He appeared in several feature films and short subject films, most notably “Stormy Weather” in 1943, which was released July 21, just months before his death. For the hit Broadway show, “Hot Chocolates”, he and Razaf wrote “(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue” (1929), which became a hit for Ethel Waters and Louis Armstrong.
Waller performed Bach organ pieces for small groups on occasion. Waller influenced many pre-bop jazz pianists; Count Basie and Erroll Garner have both reanimated his hit songs (notably, “Ain’t Misbehavin’”). In addition to his playing, Waller was known for his many quips during his performances.
Between 1926 and the end of 1927, Waller recorded a series of pipe organ solo records. These represent the first time syncopated jazz compositions were performed on a full sized church organ.
Waller contracted pneumonia and died on a cross country train trip near Kansas City, Missouri on December 15, 1943, after making a final recording session with an interracial group in Detroit that included white trumpeter Don Hirleman. He was on his way back to Hollywood for more film work, after the smash success of “Stormy Weather”. Coincidentally, as the train with the body of Waller stopped in Kansas City, so stopped a train with his dear friend Louis Armstrong on board.
Revival and awards
2008 Gennett Records Walk of Fame
2005 Jazz at Lincoln Center: Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame
1993 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
1989 Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame
1970 Songwriters Hall of Fame
Recordings of Fats Waller were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honour recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have “qualitative or historical significance”.
Fats Waller: Grammy Hall of Fame Awards
1934 “Honeysuckle Rose” Jazz (Single) Victor in 1998
1929 “Ain’t Misbehavin’” Jazz (Single) Victor in 1984 Listed in the National Recording Registry
by the Library of Congress in 2004.
Subject of the Irish poet Michael Longley’s “Elegy for Fats Waller”.
Waller’s organ music is prominently featured in the David Lynch film Eraserhead.
He was caricatured in several Warner Brothers animated shorts, most notably Tin Pan Alley Cats.
In the 2008 film, Be Kind Rewind Fats Waller was a major theme and influence for the storyline.
Italian comics book artist Igort published a comic book about Waller entitled Fats Waller on Coconino Press in 2009.
Some of Waller’s music (“Jitterbug Waltz”) is used in the video game series BioShock.
Waller’s version of “Louisiana Fairytale” was used for many years as the theme song to This Old House.
A Broadway musical revue showcasing Waller tunes entitled Ain’t Misbehavin’ was produced in 1978. (The show and a star of the show, Nell Carter, won Tony Awards.) The show opened at the Longacre Theatre and ran for over 1600 performances. It was revived on Broadway in 1988. Performed by five African American actors, it included such songs as “Honeysuckle Rose”, “This Joint Is Jumpin’”, and “Ain’t Misbehavin’”.
Your Feet's Too Big
Fats Waller & His Rhythm Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mercy!
Sounds like baby patter
Baby elephant patter, that's what I calls it]
Say, up in Harlem, at a table for two,
There were four of us, me, your big feet and you
From your ankles up, I say you sure are sweet,
Yes, your feet's too big!
Don't want ya 'cause your feet's too big!
Can't use ya 'cause your feet's too big!
I really hate ya 'cause your feet's too big!
Yeah!
Lah-dee-doo-dah,
Nah-dah-nah-dah
Where d'ya get 'em?
Nah-dee-ah-dah
Your girl, she likes ya, she thinks you're nice,
Got what it takes to be in paradise
She said she likes your face, she likes your rig,
But, man, oh, man, them things are too big
Oh, your feet's too big
Don't want ya 'cause your feet's too big!
Mad at ya 'cause your feet's too big
I hate ya 'cause your feet's too big
My goodness, gun the gunboats!
Shift! Shift! Shift!]
Oh, your pedal extremities are colossal
To me you look just like a fossil
You got me walkin', talkin' and squawkin',
'Cause your feet's too big, yeah
Come on and walk that thing
Oh, I never heard o' such walkin', Mercy!
You know your pedal extremities really are obnoxious.
One never knows, do one?]
The song "Your Feet's Too Big" by Fats Waller is essentially about a man whose feet are excessively large. The song starts with the singer addressing an elephant, but it turns out to be someone walking who is causing a lot of commotion with what sounds like "baby elephant patter." The story then moves to a table in Harlem where a man is sitting with his girlfriend and another couple. The man's girlfriend is attracted to him but finds his feet to be too large. The singer reiterates this fact throughout the song, even going so far as to say that he hates him for it. The song ends with a call and response chorus urging the man to walk his thing despite his large feet.
The song is a humorous take on a physical attribute that is usually considered unattractive. The use of the term "pedal extremities" highlights the absurdity of the situation and adds to the overall lightheartedness of the song. The singer's jealousy and frustration with the man's feet are exaggerated, making it clear that this is all meant to be taken in good fun.
Line by Line Meaning
Who's that walkin' 'round here?
Who is that person walking around here?
Mercy!
An expression of surprise or shock.
Sounds like baby patter
The sound of the footsteps resembles that of a baby's.
Baby elephant patter, that's what I calls it
The sound of the footsteps resembles that of a baby elephant's.
Say, up in Harlem, at a table for two,
I recall a time in Harlem when we were seated at a table for two.
There were four of us, me, your big feet and you
Despite being a table for two, it felt like there were four people present; myself, you, and your large feet.
From your ankles up, I say you sure are sweet
You have an attractive appearance from the ankles up.
From there down, there's just too much feet!
However, your feet are too large and unattractive.
Yes, your feet's too big!
Your feet are too large and unattractive.
Don't want ya 'cause your feet's too big!
I am not interested in pursuing a relationship with you because your feet are too large and unattractive.
Can't use ya 'cause your feet's too big!
Your large feet would not be useful or practical to me.
I really hate ya 'cause your feet's too big!
I strongly dislike you because of your large and unattractive feet.
Yeah!
An exclamation indicating agreement or emphasis.
Lah-dee-doo-dah,
Nonsense syllables indicating a carefree or lighthearted mood.
Nah-dah-nah-dah
More nonsense syllables indicating a carefree or lighthearted mood.
Where d'ya get 'em?
Where did you get such large feet?
Nah-dee-ah-dah
More nonsense syllables indicating a carefree or lighthearted mood.
Your girl, she likes ya, she thinks you're nice
Your girlfriend thinks highly of you and finds you to be a pleasant person.
Got what it takes to be in paradise
She believes you have the qualities to lead a fulfilling life.
She said she likes your face, she likes your rig,
Your girlfriend finds your face and overall appearance attractive.
But, man, oh, man, them things are too big
However, she agrees that your feet are too large and unattractive.
Mad at ya 'cause your feet's too big
I am angry with you because your feet are too large and unattractive.
My goodness, gun the gunboats!
An expression of surprise or shock.
Shift! Shift! Shift!
An exclamation indicating urgency or the need to move quickly.
Oh, your pedal extremities are colossal
Your feet are extremely large.
To me you look just like a fossil
Your large feet make you appear old or outdated.
You got me walkin', talkin' and squawkin',
Your feet have caused me to become agitated or uncomfortable, leading to excessive walking, talking, and complaining.
'Cause your feet's too big, yeah
This discomfort is due to the fact that your feet are too large and unattractive.
Come on and walk that thing
An invitation to dance.
Oh, I never heard o' such walkin', Mercy!
An expression of surprise or disbelief in regards to the style of dancing.
You know your pedal extremities really are obnoxious.
Your large feet are truly unpleasant or irritating.
One never knows, do one?
A rhetorical question indicating uncertainty or confusion.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ADA BENSON, FRED FISHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@PastPerfectVintageMusic
Fats Waller & His Rhythm: John 'Bugs' Hamilton (trumpet). Gene 'Honeybear' Sedric (clarinet/tenor sax); Fats Waller (piano/vocal); John Smith (guitar); Cedric Wallace )bass); Wilmore 'Slick' Jones (drums/vibes).
Recorded in New York, 3 November 1939
From the album Ain't Misbehavin' - Buy the CD or Download: https://www.pastperfect.com/product/fats-waller-aint-misbehavin/
@Ian-op7mq
yes, great stuff and the old world blues have come to take it.
@JimMcDade_Exploration
Love this and I can actually brag that I played this record on the radio.
@declare40
No hidden messages. Pure comedy. Proper tune, musical genius. They don't make 'em like this anymore. Classic.
@alanblackwood1
Great rhythm going Fats!
@lifemusic1980
Good stuff